We Met Here
by Amaryllis D. Namikaze
Summary: "Kind humans scare me," the petite girl said. "That's why, for me, you're the scariest of them all." Little Ryoma suffered for years before being adopted by the Fuji family and meeting her new siblings. Unfortunately, life may be difficult for her when ghosts from the past decide to invite themselves back. - YukiFem!Ryo Fuji!Nanjiroh
1. Part One: Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.**

**Warning: some dark themes, YukiRyo, fem!Ryoma, Fuji!Nanjirō, Syuusuke (he is a warning himself, people).**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

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><p><strong>Part One: Prologue<strong>

* * *

><p>My name is Ryoma.<p>

I am three  
>My eyes are swollen<br>I cannot see.

I must be stupid  
>I must be bad<br>What else could have made  
>My daddy so mad?<p>

I wish I were better,  
>I wish I weren't ugly,<br>Then maybe my daddy  
>would still want to hug me.<p>

I can't speak at all  
>I can't do anything wrong<br>Or else I'm locked up  
>All day long.<p>

When I'm awake  
>I'm usually all alone<br>The house is dark  
>My folks aren't home.<p>

When my daddy comes home  
>I'll try and be nice<br>So maybe I'll just get  
>No whipping tonight.<p>

I look out the window  
>I just heard a car<br>My daddy is back  
>from Charlie's Bar.<p>

I hear him curse.  
>My name is called.<br>I press myself  
>Against the wall<p>

I try to hide  
>From his gleaming, evil eyes.<br>I'm so afraid now  
>I'm starting to cry.<p>

He finds me weeping  
>and calls me ugly words.<br>He says that it's my fault  
>He suffers at work.<p>

He slaps and hits me  
>And yells at me some more.<br>I finally get free  
>And run to the door<p>

He's already locked it.  
>And I start to bawl.<br>He takes me and throws me  
>Against the hard wall<p>

I fall to the floor  
>With my bones nearly broken,<br>And my daddy continues  
>With more bad words spoken.<p>

_"I'm sorry!"_ I scream  
>but it's now much too late.<br>His face has been twisted  
>Into an unimaginable hate.<p>

The hurt and the pain  
>Again and again<br>_Oh please God, have mercy!_  
><em>Oh please let it end!<em>

Finally he stops  
>and heads for the door<br>while I lay there motionless  
>sprawled on the floor.<p>

My name is Ryoma.  
>I am three.<br>Tonight my daddy  
>murdered me.<p>

- Misty Nicole Ramsey (A Poem Against Child Abuse)

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><p>Rinko Black was sure that her daughter was a small miracle. Believing so, the woman was sure to thank God every day.<p>

Her young Ryoma was an incredibly beautiful and bright child – so much that Rinko sometimes had difficulty understanding it was her own baby. The toddler was sweet and always babbled about whichever subject that came to her innocent mind. Rinko could listen to her childlike voice all day.

"James," she called her husband, walking into the kitchen.

He turned around, briefly stopping his task of cooking dinner, and cleaned his hands in a towel.

"Yes, Rinko?"

The woman smiled at her husband. James Black was a handsome man with wavy blond hair and dark blue eyes – though none of his genes went to their daughter. No, of course they did not.

"Ryoma's diapers are ending, so I'm going out to buy more, okay?" As her husband's arms circled her waist, Rinko breathed his cinnamon scent. "We'll be back before dinner, I promise."

"Uh-hmm," was all he said before his lips fell over hers. For a few seconds, the woman felt as if she could stay this way forever.

As Rinko gathered her handbag and sat Ryoma on her hip, she observed her eternal baby's golden eyes. She sighed, closing her own deep brown eyes.

"Let's go, ne, honey?" Rinko said in a cheerful voice and Ryoma clapped in agreement. The toddler was a happy person.

As soon as the two got out of the building where they lived, Rinko whistled for a passing taxi. She entered the yellow car and asked the man to go to the nearest Walmart. Ryoma, sitting on her lap, giggled in contentment.

Rinko looked down at her daughter with loving eyes.

"You're happy, aren't you, my baby?" she whispered against her daughter's hair. James was blond and she was a brunette, but Ryoma's locks were unmistakably green-tinted black.

Of course James's genes hadn't passed to Ryoma – he wasn't the biological father. He was aware of this fact and accepted as the perfect husband he was. It had been the only way for them to have a child, after all.

"Mama," the toddler giggled once again.

Rinko continued smiling at her almost three-year-old daughter. It was a sad smile.

_I wonder how Yoshiko is doing_, she thought, observing New York through the car window. The last time she had seen her best friend was three years ago, when she craved to get pregnant more than anything in the world. But Yoshiko had gone back to her native country with her husband, three sons and one daughter after helping her.

_I hope she's doing okay_.

"The next street is full of trucks, ma'am, should we change course?" The taxi driver asked, tipping his head backwards to briefly look at her confirmation.

"Please, do." Rinko nodded.

The brunette remembered as if it were yesterday when she made an international call just to tell Yoshiko that the test had said positive, roughly two months after her departure.

_"I'm happy for you,"_ her Japanese friend had congratulated her. _"I'll be sure to tell Nanjirō too."_ And her voice had been calm and kind as always.

Rinko snapped back to the present as the car abruptly swirled to the right – and it happened too fast. The brunette hugged her daughter as if her life depended on it, bending down and hiding her from view as an enormous truck collided with the yellow cab. The driver gave one last shuddering breath and died right on the stop. Rinko's head hit the seat in front of her as she protected Ryoma from the impact.

The woman coughed, vaguely noticing the blood dripping from her chin as she did so. Shards of glass from the broken window pierced her skin like a thousand needles and her head throbbed painfully – but her baby was safe. She coughed once again. Yes, Ryoma was safe.

"My sweet, sweet baby," she murmured against her daughter's small head, not minding the blood on her arms, on her chin, on her lips and on the top of her head.

Her baby was safe.

Her little miracle was safe.

"Mama?"

People shouted around the taxi. Rinko couldn't head them and didn't care much either way. Her breath was failing and her head hurt and she was gasping and her cough was wet and everything was fading… But Ryoma was safe.

"My little Ryoma…"

Rinko breathed deeply once more, the scent of vanilla and rain and blood hitting her senses. Ryoma smelled good. Ryoma was safe.

"Mama?" The toddler was strangely calm.

"Ryoma… my… Ryo…"

"Mama," the toddler started in a whiny voice. "Mama."

Ryoma called and called and called.

There was a long screech as someone forced the door open, but, by then, there was only a dead woman with a crying toddler on her arms.

* * *

><p>"Where is my wife and my daughter?!"<p>

James felt as if the ground beneath him had disappeared and he was walking on hurting fire. The walls were white and should have calmed him down, but they did just the opposite.

"Excuse me, sir," the woman behind the counter said in a professional voice. "You need to stay calm and tell me your name."

"The hospital just called me saying that an accident happened and my wife and daughter were involved and you want me to stay _calm? _Are you out of our mind?"

The woman's light eyes were penetrating. She – no doubt – had spoken to visitors like this one before.

"State your name and I may help you."

"James Black," the blond man blurted out, impatient.

The woman searched in her computer screen, "Room 203, fourth floor."

James ran as soon as he heard the directions. His heart was pounding madly inside his chest and his breath came in small gasps. The man had been cooking when the hospital called and he just left everything to run toward it.

There was a doctor in front of the door of room 203.

"Excuse me," James said, not sounding very polite, but not really caring about it. "Have you seen my wife and daughter? Rinko and Ryoma?"

He doctor appeared to be a middle-aged man and his expression was somber.

"Your daughter is sleeping inside the room – she was exhausted from the car accident and her throat is hurt from crying at the top of her lungs. Other than that, she's fine and health."

James should have been reassured from it. He should've felt better from this piece of information.

But he did not.

"And my wife? How is my wife?" He almost shook the doctor's shoulders in desperation.

"I'm sorry, sir. Your wife was dead before someone even called the ambulance."

James heard it. He couldn't believe it. The ground had already been missing – now he was falling down. The doctor continued talking and he numbly noticed it.

"The paramedics said that, from her position in the car, she died protecting your daughter. It was an honorable death, sir."

Although James was sure that the doctor said something more before walking away, he didn't listen to it. His body felt numb and, at the same time, on fire. His wife couldn't be dead. Not sweet Rinko. Not Rinko.

He met her after engineering school. She had been in a bar, laughing with some friends and having fun. She was beautiful and James could remember it as if it were yesterday. Their daughter was pretty, but no one could be as pretty as Rinko. No one could laugh like her or smile or talk or _breath_.

No one could make him feel so _alive _just by standing beside him.

No one could make him feel so _dead _just by not standing beside him.

It was as if a bucket of cold water hit him over the head. James entered room 203. Surely enough, Ryoma was sleeping on the hospital bed. She was as small as a toddler should be and the sheets appeared to swallow her whole.

The doctor was right: Ryoma was safe and sound.

His sweet, sweet wife had died protecting this small girl.

James Black smiled – but it wasn't his previously handsome smile.


	2. Part One: The Fuji Family

**Disclaimer: I don't Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.**

**Warning: some dark themes, YukiRyo, fem!Ryo, Fuji Syuusuke, maybe spoilers, Fuji!Nanjirō, aaand that's it. If there's more I'll just say it later.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part One: The Fuji Family<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Kind humans scare me… Their kind words… Their gentle hands… They'll snatch it back tomorrow."<em>

(Somewhat Adapted) From Super Lovers, Vol. 1, Chap. 3

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><p>Ryoma wasn't sure about what she wanted to do.<p>

Miss Evangeline was being nice as always, reassuring her that Japan would be great – but the five-year-old girl missed home. Even if home was bitter.

It was January, but Tokyo wasn't cold like New York was. In fact, there was a nice breeze coming from the open car's window. The tiny girl blinked, observing the different houses and buildings.

"Are you feeling anxious, Ryo?"

There was an auburn-haired woman sitting beside her in the rented car. She was pretty as any red-haired person appeared to be, especially with her azure eyes.

Ryoma was only grateful that Miss Evangeline had called her _Ryo. _

"Yes," she said in a quiet whisper.

Ryoma Black was, after all, a very quiet child. She was smaller than any five-year-old should be and, most of the time, spoke too low to be heard. She had become used to fading to the background, because that was what she was supposed to do.

Papa said so.

Evangeline Hedge felt her eyes softening at the image of a small child sitting almost as if she didn't want to be found. She had found Ryoma four months ago, shivering in the pouring rain with bruises all over her body. The child hadn't been crying and most people couldn't see her sitting in the dark alley. New York was a city too busy for a silent and hurt child.

The auburn-haired woman sighed as Ryoma turned her head to the window to look outside. She had taken the child to her apartment and took care of her wounds. There had been tears rolling down the child's cheeks, but she hadn't sobbed. Not loudly. Being loud was the same as shouting that she existed.

And Ryoma said that her Papa told her that existing wasn't acceptable – not when Ryoma's mother had died instead of herself.

"I'm sure they'll love you, Ryo," Evangeline assured the child beside her once again. She wanted to pat the green-tinted hair, but refrained from doing so. The last time she tried to, Ryoma had screamed for hours.

"Bad Ryo," the small girl murmured in disagreement.

Evangeline shook her head, trying to pass her message with all her might, "That's wrong, Ryo. You're a good girl, remember? I told you before."

Golden eyes stared up at the azure-eyed woman.

"Good Ryo?"

Evangeline nodded, "That's right. Good Ryo."

Evangeline Hedge certainly could remember the bruises all over the child's body four months before.

* * *

><p>Ryoma was used to loneliness.<p>

No child in her neighborhood wanted to be her friend and Papa never talked to her. He shouted a lot, but never talked. Her only toy was a tennis ball that Papa had tossed at her once and never snatched it back. Ryoma thought it was a nice gesture of him, because she had never had a toy before.

Papa loved her. He had said so – even if it had been through a world of pain.

Ryoma believe him, since she didn't have anyone else to rely on. She loved Papa too and, now, missed him. It had been months since she last saw his face. She even missed his scent, which she had always hated. It stank.

"Miss Evangeline," she said, trying not to mumble. Miss Evangeline said that if she spoke too low people wouldn't hear her. Ryoma knew that.

The woman smiled at her, "Yes?"

"Why does my family live in Japan?" Ryoma wasn't used to asking questions. Papa didn't allow them, but Miss Evangeline said it was okay to ask when in doubt.

The auburn-haired woman answered in a calm voice, softly patting her hand – the only part of Ryoma's body that she allowed to be patted.

"Your new Daddy lives here and was anxious to meet you as much as you are now. You're going to have a mother and siblings," the woman said in a cheerful voice. "Isn't it nice?"

Ryoma shook her head, because she didn't know what to say.

"Papa said that Ryo can't have friends, because Ryo is bad."

Evangeline continued to smile, though she felt as if she could kill someone. She closed her eyes and saw a bruised Ryoma under her eyelids. The woman _really _felt as if she could kill someone.

"But Ryo isn't bad, remember? Ryo is a good girl and your new family is going to love you."

"Why?"

Evangeline had never known that one could feel murderous and sad at the same time. This world was _so _messed up. This girl's father was so messed up. He had broken his own kid and probably was well aware of that.

The auburn-haired woman was a social worker and had dealt with different types of children during her career. Ryoma wasn't a new case, exactly. Evangeline had seen children like her: broken, shy, hidden from the world by neglectful parents. She had saved lots of kids and gave them new families. But Ryoma's situation was still the one that touched her the most.

After taking Ryoma out of the streets, she had her team search for the child's home. Results showed that the apartment she lived in was empty of human beings and reeked of alcohol and smoke. Evangeline wasn't surprised. Many parents let their children on the streets when they decided to move out of their house or disappear.

The problem was that DNA tests showed something different from the other cases of abuse. They didn't know who Ryoma's male parent was as she had never told them his name – but the results said that he wasn't her biological father. Why would a man adopt a child and abuse her?

Evangeline had asked the green-haired girl and her only response was that Papa had always been there, while Mama had not. The latter had died and the former had made his 'own' daughter believe that she shouldn't be loved.

"Because you're a lovely child, Ryo," Evangeline replied with an honest tone.

Ryoma said nothing more, only observing Tokyo with confused eyes. She missed Papa, but wouldn't tell Miss Evangeline that, because the woman hated when she talked about him. Sometimes, Ryoma despised him too – and felt bad for it.

* * *

><p>The house where Ryoma was supposed to live now was big – much bigger than her old apartment in New York. The walls were painted of a crème color and the windows were white. There were flower-beds in the garden and a huge space between the gate and the house itself. It was a nice neighborhood.<p>

Ryoma was sure that it was the wrong house.

"Why are we here?" She asked. Maybe Miss Evangeline had acquaintances in Japan. That's how they had discovered her new Daddy's family anyway.

The social worker smiled down at the child, getting out of the car and thanking the driver.

"Your new family lives here. It looks nice, doesn't it?"

Ryoma nodded, holding her small bag. Miss Evangeline had bought clothes for her and searched for a new family – she was grateful for the former action, but confused by the latter. Ryoma didn't know why she needed a new family exactly. Papa loved her, he had said so.

The doorbell rang and a teenager answered the door. Ryoma thought she was beautiful with her light brown hair and dark blue eyes. The girl smiled kindly.

"How may I help you?" She asked, but Ryoma understood none of it. Miss Evangeline said that in Japan everybody talked in Japanese, though had never commented about the weirdness of the language.

Miss Evangeline answered in heavy-accented Japanese, "Hello. My name is Hedge Evangeline and I'm the social worker that contacted Fuji Nanjirō and Fuji Yoshiko. May I speak with them?"

The girl blinked.

"Mom and Dad were contacted by a social worker?" She wondered out loud before apologizing for her rudeness. Evangeline waved it off. "Well, you're welcome to enter."

"Excuse me," Evangeline said before entering. She turned to Ryoma, who was hiding behind her leg and told her in English, "You need to take your shoes off before entering a house in Japan, okay, Ryo?"

Ryoma only nodded, because she didn't want to talk in front of a stranger. Although she didn't know at the time, the brunette understood what Miss Evangeline said, because she herself had been born in America, and had lived there until she was almost eight years old.

"Mom, Dad!" The girl called. "There's a woman called Evangeline Hedge here and she wants to talk to you!"

A beautiful woman appeared in the hall and looked surprised, "Hegde-san? I thought you'd come only next week."

"Things turned out okay faster than expected," the auburn-haired woman explained. Ryoma observed in silence the other person in the hall. She was an adult version of the teenager girl.

"Well, feel welcome," the brunette said. "Come to the living room, we can talk there."

There was a tanned, brown-haired man sitting on the sofa when they arrived at the living room. His eyes were curiously golden – like Ryoma's. He was grinning lazily and teasing a preteen boy that looked like him. Actually, his green-tinted eyes made Ryoma really curious, because it was like her own short locks.

"Fuji-san," Evangeline bowed briefly. "My name is Hedge Evangeline."

The boy stopped shouting back at the man and both of them observed as Evagenline and Ryoma entered the room. There was another pair of boys sitting in front of the television – which was turned off. Both looked like their mother, with light brown hair and light eyes (though one had them closed).

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Nanjirō said somewhat absentmindedly, trying to look at the child behind Evangeline's legs. She was way smaller than his youngest son, Yuuta.

Ryoma trembled slightly as Miss Evangeline stepped sideways to allow her to be seen.

"This is Black Ryo…" But before the auburn-haired could finish her phrase, Ryoma grabbed her wrist while standing on tip toes.

"Ryo," she murmured softly. She couldn't understand Japanese, but could understand her own name.

Evangeline patted the girl's hand, almost forgetting and touching her little head. It would be bad if Ryoma started screaming and kicking now.

"Oh, yes. This is Ryo," she introduced the small girl.

Ryoma wanted the ground to swallow her as six pairs of eyes observed her. The tiny girl knew that she wasn't pretty. Her hair was too short and untamed and its color wasn't normal – though the preteen boy had the exact color as her. Her eyes were too big and golden, and her body was thin and frail.

The woman with light brown hair and blue eyes came closer, crouching down in front of her. Ryoma partially hid behind Miss Evangeline's legs.

"Hey there, little one," the woman said with a soft smile. Her voice was like chiming bells. Thankfully, she was talking in English. "My name is Yoshiko Fuji."

Ryoma looked at the offered hand and didn't take it. Except for Papa and Miss Evangeline, she didn't let anyone touch her – and even the latter had limitations. Humans sometimes scared her - especially the kind ones.

"I will be your mother, is that okay for you?"

Ryoma was too nervous to notice the looks of surprise on the other kids' faces.

The brown-haired man came closer too, but didn't offer his hand in greeting. He gave her a smile, "And I'm Nanjirō Fuji."

Said man wanted to say many things. He wanted to ask why she was so small. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, even though he had never seen the child before. And he wanted to understand why she was so afraid of them.

"Yumiko, why don't you and your brothers show the house to your new sister?" Yoshiko suggested and the oldest child took the hint.

"C'mon tykes," she said to her kid brothers. Ryoga huffed as he was in this age that he hated to be called _kid_, and Yuuta simply followed her more than happy to comply. Syuusuke went to where Ryoma was and took her hand, even though the small girl was trembling as he did so.

Evangeline was really surprised that Ryoma didn't start screaming right then, but followed silently, apparently not minding the older boy's hand around hers. How unusual.

She turned to the new parents.

"You must have some questions to ask and I have some comments I'd like to make," she said, aware that they were paying close attention to her words. "We'd better sit – it might take a long time to explain things."

* * *

><p>Ryoma was nervous, but the taller boy walking beside her was smiling with no care in the world. He was the prettiest of the siblings – as weird as it sounds. His features were softer than the other boy with equally light brown hair and his eyes were sharper than the dark-green-haired preteen. He was as thin as his sister and walked as gracefully as she.<p>

"I'm Ryoga Fuji, the oldest and most intelligent of the siblings" the oldest boy introduced himself, pointing a thumb to his own chest.

The girl snorted, which Ryoma didn't expect of someone so feminine-looking, "Please, Ryoga, I am the oldest of the _siblings_ – and _you _certainly aren't the smartest. I mean, Syuusuke is seven and more intelligent than you."

"Hey!"

The youngest boy laughed and the one with closed eyes, who was guiding Ryoma through the house, only smiled wider.

The only girl turned to Ryoma, saying in English, "My name is Yumiko Fuji, the older sister to these annoying pests… actually, only Ryoga is the pest. I'm sure you'll think so too."

Ryoma giggled – and widened her eyes in surprise. She couldn't remember the last time she giggled. Had she ever laughed? The tiny girl was used to silence.

"I'm Yuuta!" The youngest boy chirped. He was almost as tall as the closed-eye sibling, despite being younger. He was walking hand-in-hand with the teenager girl, Yumiko, apparently happy with arrangement.

"And I'm Syuusuke," the boy holding her hand said, finally opening his eyelids as he observed her. Ryoma was enchanted. If honey could speak, she was sure it would have that voice – if sapphires could be melted and become irises, they would be this boy's eyes.

The house was bigger than it appeared outside – not mentioning that it already looked enormous from the garden. It was three flights tall, full of rooms and good decoration. There was a games room, a library, a pool and even a tennis courts on the backyard. The bedrooms were on the last floor.

"Ne, ne, what's your name?" The youngest, Yuuta, asked. The girl walking beside his older brother was _really _small. Had Hedge-san said how old was she? She couldn't be any older than three or four.

"Baka," Ryoga taunted. He was a mature boy, as one could see. "Hegde-san told us she was Black Ryo."

Ryoma wondered why he had put her surname before her name, before remembering that Miss Evangeline had commented how in Japan it was this way that people introduced themselves.

"Oh," Yuuta made, before puffing out his cheeks and crossing his arms. "You don't have to be so mean."

Syuusuke laughed softly, "Yuuta is right, Onii-san."

For some reason Ryoma couldn't understand, Ryoga apologized to Yuuta as soon as he noticed his other younger brother's smile.

"Aaand that's it," Yumiko said once they ended showing the house, ending with their parents' bedroom, which was the last of the corridor.

The five of them stood in silence, not sure of what to do now. The oldest ones knew that the adults wanted to talk alone and couldn't go back to the living room before being called back.

Ryoma looked at her hand, which was being held by Syuusuke's bigger one. He hadn't asked her whether he could hold it or not – the boy had just taken it and guided her through the house. The golden-eyed wasn't sure why she wasn't trembling. The boy had been nothing but kind, of course, but that was the whole point.

Kind humans scared her.

Nobody had ever been truthfully kind to her – not before she met Miss Evangeline. Sometimes, Ryoma was scared of her too.

"When Hegde-san was introducing you," Syuusuke suddenly talked and his honey voice filled the corridor. "She was going to say the rest of your name and you stopped her."

He didn't say anything more, though his question was implicit in the statement. _Why did you stop her?_ Ryoma didn't answer, because she wasn't sure of the _why_. She didn't know when her dislike for the name _Ryoma _had started either.

Papa had called her Ryoma all the time, but he used to pronounce it in a drawling voice, making the _mah_ stand out from the rest. When she met Miss Evangeline and said woman had asked what her name was, Ryoma answered – and simply started crying. Ever since then, the small girl couldn't complete her own name. At least not without remembering Papa, his bottle of some drink called "beer", and his drawling _mah_.

Ryoma tried to shrug the question off, but only manage to look down and stay quiet. There were too many strangers with her and no Miss Evangeline or Papa. She tried tugging her hand back, but Syuusuke held it tight enough.

He _wanted _to hold her hand.

Ryoma had never met someone who willingly touched her. Nobody had ever been truthfully kind. The tiny girl somewhat relaxed, assuring herself that the older boy wanted – _somebody wanted, somebody wanted, somebody wanted –_ to hold her hand.

And promptly bursted into tears.


	3. Part One: Syuusuke

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. Duh.**

**Warning: (maybe) spoilers, some dark themes, Fuji Syuusuke, Fem!Ryoma, YukiRyo pairing, Fuji!Nanjirō.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part One:<strong> **Syuusuke**

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><p><em>I was alone all this while<em>_  
><em>_in search of a real friend.__  
><em>_You came with a smile__  
><em>_and took me by my hand._

_Anonymous_

* * *

><p>"Please," Ryoma begged in a whisper, holding Miss Evangeline's long skirt in her tiny hands. She didn't want the woman to go.<p>

One week had passed and both of them had spent it in the Fuji's house. It was January and the other kids in the house had school, so Ryoma was alone all morning and most of the afternoon time. Miss Evangeline had been dealing with paperwork for the adoption all these seven days and it was finally ready.

But Ryoma did not want Miss Evangeline to go to the States. Would she ever see the woman again? What if her new didn't like her? Mister and Misses Fuji (though they _did _told her to call them Daddy and Mommy) had been kind, treating her as if Ryoma had always lived there. Her new siblings were gentle and didn't make her speak when she didn't want to.

They were _so _scary.

Miss Evangeline crouched down in front of her with a soft smile plastering her face.

"Everything will be alright, Ryo," she said, patting the girl's hand on her skirt. "Didn't you like Nanjirō-san and Yoshiko-san?"

Said couple had taken them to the airport as the flight was in the early morning and were watching the scene from the sideways.

Ryoma nodded shyly, "I did."

"So what's the problem? They'll treat you well, sweetie."

The small girl nodded in agreement, though still unsure. Before Miss Evangeline had the chance to get up, however, the golden-eyed child stepped forward and hugged her as tight as she could. The auburn-haired woman was surprised as Ryoma never let herself be touched, but hugged back.

"You're going to be okay," Miss Evangeline repeated what she had been saying all week. A voice on the microphone called the next flight to New York. "Well, that's it."

Ryoma closed her eyes briefly before letting the woman go. Yoshiko and Nanjirō exchanged whispers in Japanese before Miss Evangeline waved goodbye and entered the boarding gate.

"Ne, Ryo-chan, what if show the room you'll be staying now?" Yoshiko smiled at the child, touching her shoulder. Ryoma nodded, but flinched back. The Fuji couple observed the gesture with attentive eyes.

Sometimes – even if Evangeline-san had told them – they still couldn't believe that their friend Rinko had died and James had become this kind of monster.

* * *

><p>Yumiko was the first to arrive home from school as usual. She went to her father's old school, Seigaku Junior High, while her younger brothers went to Seiharudai Daisan Elementary School. Ryoga was the oldest of them who was still in Elementary and became the responsible one to bring the youngers back home.<p>

"Tadaima," Yumiko called as soon as she entered the household.

"Ah, Yumiko," her mother entered the hall. "How was your day?"

"Good, Mom. Airi-chan was showing me another plush she bought to her little brother."

Kikumaru Airi was Yumiko's best friend and had been ever since they met in their first year in Junior High. According to the former, she was the third eldest in her family, having one younger brother and one younger sister. Yumiko had gone to her house uncountable times and had Airi to theirs.

"Saa, she's such a thoughtful girl," Yoshiko completed, going back to the task of making dinner. The mother was always the one who cooked the meals – sometimes with the help of Yumiko or Syuusuke – because Nanjirō was excellent in tennis, but bad at anything else.

"Un," the daughter agreed, washing her hands to help her mother. "Where are Dad and Ryo?"

Apart from their parents, no one in the Fuji family knew Ryoma's real name. The girl hadn't told them and the kids didn't bother trying to discover. They all had noticed her hesitation and shyness around people and tried to help as much as possible.

"Well, Evangeline-san left today and Ryo was sulking around her new room, so your father decided to teach her tennis."

Yumiko laughed, "Of course he did. It seems it's in the genes."

And the oldest sibling could state that, because she was the only one who knew the truth told from her parents: Nanjirō was Ryo's biological father.

* * *

><p>When the Fuji brothers finally arrived home, it was evening. Yuuta was covered in dust as well as Syuusuke. Ryoga was fuming behind the two.<p>

"Tadaima," they called.

"Welco–" Yoshiko didn't finish talking, seeing the state her sons were in. "Goodness, what happened?"

Syuusuke offered her a soft smile that she knew too well – he was pissed.

"Saa, some boys were picking on Yuuta," the third oldest explained. And Yoshiko immediately understood. Her son was _very _protective of his younger brother and, now, younger sister. "I scared them off," he ended with a wider smile and the brown-haired woman asked nothing more.

"Before I could," Ryoga completed, apparently very annoyed with the fact. The eldest boy tried to act tough all the time, though he was a big softy on the inside.

"Well, dinner is ready, so go wash your hands."

"_Hai_," the three chorused. They greeted a smiling Yumiko who had heard the commotion.

Syuusuke was the first to enter the dining room and see Ryoma sitting beside their father. He smiled and sat by her.

"Hello, Ryo-chan," smiling, he said in English. The small girl had learnt very few Japanese words, being too shy to ask or speak much.

"Hi," she murmured to herself, looking down at the tablecloth. As she was too small, Ryoma had to sit over her legs.

"Did you have fun today?" Syuusuke asked, taking her little hand in his. It had become his favorite gesture during this week. He liked coming back from school and chatting with Ryoma, even if said girl was as quiet as a mute.

"Un," she nodded. Her new clothes – now bought by Yoshiko – were full of dust, but she didn't appear to care.

Nanjirō laughed loudly at this, "Ha! I was teaching tennis to the brat and she isn't too bad!" And he guffawed some more.

Ryoma flinched at the word brat, but couldn't bring herself to care much about it. Her new father had complimented her – somehow – and he called every child of his _brat_. Even Yumiko.

"Saa," Syuusuke smiled at the girl. "I want to play against Ryo-chan too."

"What? Ryo is learning tennis?" Ryoga questioned as he entered the room followed by Yuuta.

Yoshiko, who had started bringing the food to the table, commented, "You should have seen them – they played all afternoon."

"Sugoi, Ryo!" Yuuta complimented. The tiny girl blushed, lowering her head.

She poked circles on her own leg, "I… I had fun."

Everybody's eyes softened.

"I'm glad," Syuusuke kissed her small head and Ryoma froze on the spot.

This sibling was the only one who dared to touch her all the time. Yuuta touched her shoulder when calling her and Ryoga ruffled her hair a few times. Yumiko and Yoshiko patted her head all the time – sometimes, so did Nanjirō. But Syuusuke was the only who held her hand and tried to be kind every time.

For little Ryoma, he was the scariest of them all. Mainly because she was getting used to it.

"Ne, Ryo," started Ryoga, munching on his food and earning a _'Swallow before speaking, Ryoga'_ from his mother. "Mom and Dad said that they'll register you officially two days from now. Will your name be Fuji Ryo?"

"Ryoga!" Yoshiko scolded, fully aware of Ryoma's fright of completing her own name.

"What? I ask because I care," the preteen hastily explained himself, afraid of his mother's temper.

Ryoma lifted her eyes from her plate (she didn't have the courage to tell Misses Fuji that it was too much food for her stomach) and whispered in English, "I-I don't know. My real name… R-Ryoma, I, I…"

_"Ryo – hic – mah!" _

_ "Come here, Ryo_mah!_"_

_ "RYOMA!"_

The tiny girl closed her eyes and covered her ears. She started crying.

_"My little Ryoma…"_

Tears fell from her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Someone gathered her in their arms, hugging her tightly. She couldn't remember a time when somebody hugged her first. The person kissed her head and lifted her up, sitting her on their lap.

"Don't cry, Ryo-chan, you can be Ryo if you want," the person said and Ryoma immediately recognized the voice as Syuusuke's.

She opened her eyes to see the Fuji family around them and herself sitting over her new brother's legs. He was – as usual – smiling at her, though with his eyes open.

"And you know what? I'll love you even if you're just Ryo," Syuusuke whispered as if it was supposed to be a secret.

Ryoma trembled and cried, but couldn't bring herself to flinch back. She grasped the boy's shirt with desperate fingers and let her head fall on his chest.

_Somebody loves me, somebody loves me, somebody loves me._

"'Suke…" She murmured against his neck. "'Suke."

Syuusuke patted her head as always.

Two days later, Ryoma Black became Fuji Ryosuki.

* * *

><p>Kyyyyyyaaaa, new story for those who already my other ones!<p>

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW BADYGUZ! I was feeling hopeless as more than one-hundred readers had viewed this story, but _no one_ (sniff sniff) had commented about it. Why, people, why? Is it bad? Is it good? Review or I can't know…

Well, I'm back to normal. I'm happy with the follows and favorites :D

This chapter is shorter and, yeah, that's it. Some are shorter, some are longer – basically it's called life.

Until next time,

Amy.

(Man, I think I drank something before writing this author's note).

(For those who read my other stories, don't mind this one more. It's better to finally write it off and take it off my mind, so I can concentrate in all of them instead of just one).

(Isn't Syuusuke a cutie? He's only seven but so MATURE! _As expected of the tensai_, one would say, hahaha!).


	4. Part One: Friends

**Disclaimer: I don't Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.**

**Warnings: **none in particular in this chapter…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part One: Friends<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become and still gently allows you to grow<em>."

(William Shakespeare)

* * *

><p>Soon enough, before Ryosuki could realize, a month had passed.<p>

The tiny girl got used to the Fujis' lifestyle easier than she had thought she could. As Ryosuki was too young to go to Elementary School (her sixth was only in December, after all) and too insecure to go to kindergarten, her new mother started educating her with the basics. The child learnt surprisingly fast, except for Japanese. The dark-green-haired girl couldn't speak the language to save her life.

Thankfully, everybody in the Fuji residence knew English – even if Yuuta's pronunciation was little weird. They communicated easily enough.

While her mother worked part-time in a candy story, her new father did absolutely nothing. It took a few weeks for Ryosuki to learn that he used to be a professional tennis player and thus earned a lot of money from competition. Although Nanjirō was strange, the tiny girl started enjoying their mornings spent playing her newest favorite sport.

As for her sister, she and Ryosuki got along very well. Yumiko was kind and always ready to help. The youngest Fuji discovered that the girl liked tarot cards and could read them, and was excited to hear her sister's prediction.

Ryoga, her oldest brother, was both arrogant and annoying. He sometimes kept saying _I'm the best player_ or _I'm the smartest_, and Ryosuki wished for him to stop. However, Ryoga could be sweet when he wanted – such as when the preteen bought for her a kitten as a welcome gift. He had been blushing and the girl found it cute.

Syuusuke was creepy – there was no other word to describe him. The boy was the most overprotective of her new family and was certainly very intelligent for a seven-year-old boy. He kept lifting her up and sitting her on his hip. Ryosuki hated the fact that she was small enough for this action to be possible.

And then there was Yuuta. Ryoga teased him about how he used to be a baby before she came, but Ryosuki couldn't see her brother as a baby. He was fun to be around with and played lots of games with her, never complaining about anything. He truly was the most normal of this family.

Living in Japan was different experience. She hadn't gone out much – Ryosuki was used to staying longs periods of time inside, after all – but every time the girl accompanied her mother somewhere, it was as if entering a new world. Everybody talked funny with their _hai _and _tadaima_, and Ryosuki couldn't understand why there was the need of taking their shoes off when entering a place.

Miss Evangeline telephoned once a week to ask about her living arrangements. The tiny child was happy to talk with her albeit a little shyly. At their first conversation, Ryosuki had gathered courage to ask about her father, though the gentle woman had no news on the man.

Ryosuki wished she could see her Papa again and didn't understand why Mommy and Daddy were angry when she mentioned him. They called him _'that one…'_

Her personality was still affected by her father's action and it showed – which irritated Nanjirō and Yoshiko greatly. It was not their daughter's fault, of course. Still, it was sad to see hiding behind one of her siblings when someone unexpected visited their home. The mother of the household often questioned how the tiny girl would fare in a school.

By the time her second month in Japan arrived, Ryosuki could write basic kanji and speak simple phrases such as _I'm happy_ or _My name is_. Japanese was extremely confusing as girl should talk one way and boys another way. Why couldn't they all speak the same? Syuusuke tried to help her, creating songs with translations from English to Japanese, but it was still hard either way.

She'd rather play tennis all day than sit on a chair and practice her kanjis. When she told her family this, her brothers laughed all dinner and Mommy and Yumiko-nee smiled as if everything was as if it should be.

And Ryosuki felt home for the first time.

* * *

><p>She met Syuusuke's friends on her third month in Japan.<p>

Mommy had spent the entire last week advising her to go to the park nearby and meet other kids. Ryosuki didn't think it was this easy – the children in her old neighborhood never wanted anything to do with her. Why would Japanese kids be any different?

But the little girl was surprised, because she liked Saeki Kojiro and Yukimura Seiichi even if none of them spoke English. The former was a handsome boy with a calm demeanor and the latter was the tallest of them. Seiichi – as he asked to be called and Ryosuki still wasn't used to calling other people by their surnames – was always serene. In a way, he was much like her creepier brother, Syuu.

Their first encounter had been funny. It had been a breezy day of April and school had just started again. Yuuta had been too busy to play with her that day and Syuusuke had taken her to the park instead. Ryosuki had been reluctant to go as his friends would be there.

"Hey, Syuusuke!" A white-and-black-haired guy had yelled, waving at them. Beside him was a blue-haired boy with round eyes.

"Kojiro, Seiichi, hi," her brother had greeted with his usual smile.

Ryosuki was partially hidden behind him. Seriously, Syusuuke and this blue-haired guy had the _very same _smiles on their faces. Were they twins?

"Who is she?" The white-haired boy questioned, eyeing her little frame. Ryosuki wished for the ground to swallow her whole. She should've stayed home.

"Is she your new sister, Syuusuke?" The blue-haired boy asked in a curious tone. "The one you were talking about?"

Syuusuke nodded, "Un," he agreed and, in English, told her, "Ryo, these are my best friends, Kojiro Saeki and Seiichi Yukimura."

"Nice to meet you and welcome to Japan," both boys greeted her with soft smiles and bowing, but Ryosuki understood almost nothing. She recognized the first part – _Hajimemashite_ – though.

Ryosuki squealed against her will when her brother sat her on his hip as it was his habit. She blushed as her brother's friends laughed at the cute scene.

They had spent the rest of the afternoon playing tag. They didn't to speak the same language to have fun, after all.

* * *

><p><em>Same year, Halloween day<em>

* * *

><p>Fuji Ryosuki was used to being Syuusuke and Seiichi's source of amusement. Truthfully speaking, only Kojiro was kind – the other two were always annoying with their serene (and slightly sadistic) way of living.<p>

Even so, she hadn't expected _this_.

The months went by fast and the small girl had gotten used to Seiichi's weird quirks, or Syuu-nii-san's creepy smiles. Koji-kun and Yuuta were the normal ones – she had been right indeed – and, after meeting Yukimura Emi, so was she. The group of friends often spent time together, going to each other's house and hanging out.

It was Halloween night and Ryosuki was pleased to discover that people also went trick or treating in Japan. She had never had the chance to wear a costume before and it was bound to be awesome this year! Her third eldest sibling had promised a cool outfit for her.

She shouldn't have trusted Syuusuke.

"Ryo-imouto, you're _so _cute!" Shouted a four-year-old girl, clapping her hands in excitement. Emi was Seiichi's baby sister and younger than Ryosuki by one year. The blue-haired girl, however, was taller and found it funny to call the older girl her _imouto_, that is, 'younger sister'.

Ryosuki growled, because she didn't want to wear a dress. She had developed a hate for dresses along this year as Yumiko-nee and Mommy wanted to buy frilly ones. Daddy was cool, because he never made her wear skirts and always said that tennis players should wear pants – _especially _his little girl.

"Come here, Ryo-chan," said Seiichi in English. Saeki and he had learnt to speak the Western language while the dark-green-haired child struggled to learn Japanese. It was good enough to understand Emi, who couldn't speak English, but not _this_ good. It was difficult to speak with people who didn't know she was a foreigner and talked too fast for her taste.

Ryosuki begrudgingly complied and let the older boy put a long blond wig over her short curls. Seiichi clapped his hands to show that he was done.

"You're pretty, imouto," complimented Yuuta, wincing at her pouty expression. He was dressed with a pair of blue overalls that was full of false arms and carrying a red plastic hookah pipe.

"Yuu-chan is right," Syuusuke agreed. Of course he did, Ryosuki groaned inwardly. Her brother was dressed in a pair of gray-and-blue stripped overalls complete with a cat-eared hoodie. A fluffy tail swayed behind him as he moved.

"Syuu-nii," Ryosuki pouted. She had gotten used to calling her siblings with Japanese honorifics. "Syuu-nii," she repeated when the boy did nothing more than smile wider. She didn't want to wear an _Alice in Wonderland _costume! Not if she had to wear a dress!

Unfortunately – for the little girl – she was indeed cute. Her light blue dress was completed with a white frilly apron, knee-high white socks and black doll shoes. A black ribbon was being done around her blond wig by Yumino-nee, who was laughing at her misfortune.

"Don't be so sad, Ryosuki-chan," Saeki said in a tangled up English. "We're going to get lots of candy today."

Easy for him to say – he was only the White Rabbit of Alice. Actually, the group had decided to wear costumes of the same theme, as according to Syuusuke, it would touch people's hearts (whatever he meant by that). Her youngest brother was the Caterpillar and the creepy brother was the Cheshire Cat (complemented with a full-weird smile).

"Candy!" Emi agreed, having understood the Western word. She had been learning the new language ever since she met Ryosuki two months ago when the girl went to Seiichi's house for the first time. She was dressed as the Queen of Hearts and didn't seem bothered by her red, black and white dress. In fact, she was pretty awed by the beauty of it.

"Is everybody ready?" Asked Seiichi in his outfit of Mad Hatter while offering a hand to help Ryosuki stand up. The girl accepted and crossed her arms immediately. "Let's go, then!'

The dark-green-haired didn't want to admit it, but she had fun. Yuuta and Emi poked at each other all the time, complaining about nothing really one minute and being the best of friends the next. Saeki was the most responsible one, always gathering everyone back together when one wandered too far away. Syuusuke enchanted every lady offering candies with his smile and sweet costume – it was truly disturbing. Seiichi just made sure that his sister and Ryosuki were still somewhere to be seen.

"Syuu-nii, put me down," complained a tired Ryosuki by the end of the night.

Saeki had returned to his own house after biding goodbye and Yuuta had went off with some friends of school that he found midway. It was only the four of them now.

"But you cannot even walk straight, Ryo-chan," her brother sing-sang in Japanese. Ryosuki didn't have to speak Japanese to understand that the older boy was teasing her. Admittedly, though, it felt good being sat on his hip and just be carried by someone.

"Ryo worked hard today," Seiichi agreed with a smile. He talked in English as his sister was already sleeping while being piggy-back riding her brother and didn't matter if she was paying attention or not to their words.

The small girl yawned widely, resting her head on Syuusuke's shoulder.

"Tired, ducky?" Her brother had another annoying habit: giving her nicknames all the time.

"N-no," she mumbled through her teeth, trying to stifle a yawn once again.

Seiichi laughed, "Ryo is so stubborn sometimes."

"I'm n-not."

Both boys exchanged glances over the girl's head. They were smiling.

"Ne, Syuu-nii, Seiichi?" The girl called, willingly speaking in Japanese for the first time in weeks.

"Hm?"

"Hai, baby sis?"

The girl yawned for the third time in five minutes.

"It was fun… today…," she was starting to doze off. "I wish we can… be together… forever… and ever…" And Ryosuki stopped as the petite child slept.

Seiichi patted her head and waved at his best friend, biding goodbye.

Syuusuke did nothing more than adjust his sister in his arms and open the gate to his house. Surely enough, all of them wished the same.

Staying together.

Little did they know it was not to be.


	5. Part One: Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.**

**Warning: Fuji!Nanjirō, Fem!Ryo, YukiFem!Ryo, Syuusuke, some dark themes, some angst themes, genderbending, and bla, bla, bla. Too lazy to find other warnings.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part One: Goodbye<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that."<em>

_(Ally Condie)_

* * *

><p>The first one to part – metaphorically speaking – was Yuuta.<p>

Ryosuki was seven when she witnessed the worst argument between her youngest older brothers. The tiny girl was an observant child, noticing small details that most would have missed. She had gotten used to sensing her father's reactions by his actions and thus could read people very well. This ability, however, didn't make her any less surprised when Yuuta started shouting at Syuusuke.

The younger male Fuji had been participating in a tennis tournament for boys in the eight-year-old division. Most of his opponents, on the other hand, kept mentioning the tensai Fuji Syuusuke, which greatly irritated Yuuta.

When they arrived home, an argument broke out and doors were slammed.

Ryosuki had never seen her brothers fight like this. Sure, she had seen Ryoga-nii tease the others – and even her sometimes – mercilessly as well as seen Yumiko-nee poke fun at them and even Syuusuke with his creepy smile had his ways. But it was innocent, there was never true angriness.

The house was silent for the next two days – and when Yuuta finally spoke to Syuusuke again, it was only to ask where their mother was. From then on, they never talked much, despite the latter's insistence in doing so.

Surely enough, the dynamics of their group of friends were affected.

Yuuta had been the one who spent most time with Emi and the one who agreed to play every game Ryosuki wanted. When he distanced himself from all of them, both girls were sad for days. Emi even cried, to Seiichi's annoyance. Ryosuki couldn't bring herself to cry, because somehow she was already used to not being wanted.

Still, it hurt.

* * *

><p>The second one was Kojiro.<p>

They all had been hanging out in the park close to their houses when the white-and-black-haired boy announced that he was moving to Chiba.

"What? Why?" Emi immediately questioned. It was obvious that she was still hurt by Yuuta's depart, even though it had been one year ago already. The girl was afraid of losing her friends all the time, and the green-haired Fuji couldn't blame her.

Saeki's expression was disheartening, "My Dad was transferred and Mom doesn't want to live just the two of us here. I tried to convince her that I could stay with one of you, but… well… she said it would be too much trouble for your families."

"It would not!" The other four children disagreed. Not even Seiichi or Syuusuke were smiling and the latter had even opened his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kojiro apologized with a hand rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"It's not your fault, Kojiro," Seiichi tried to comfort him, patting his shoulder. In the end, however, no one was cheerful enough to _cheer the other boy up._

One month later, Saeki Kojiro was also gone.

* * *

><p>The last straw came when Ryosuki was almost turning ten.<p>

It was winter in Tokyo and the streets were freezing with the cold wind. It was winter break in all schools, but children weren't seen in the playground as the swings were frozen and the concrete ground too slippery.

The two Yukimura and two Fuji siblings spent their days alternating between their houses, thankful for the heater in each one. Seiichi and Emi's mother, Kita, was more than happy to make them hot cocoa and Yumiko-nee always had a package of candies ready for them. Homework had already been completed within the first day of break and they could lazy around all as much as they wanted.

"Waah, I wish for a hotter weather," Emi complained three days away from Christmas and Ryosuki's birthday. They were planning a surprise party for her.

Ryosuki nodded in agreement, because slippery grounds meant no tennis and no tennis meant no fun.

"Maa, maa, soon enough we'll be able to play," Syuusuke tried to soothe the two girls.

For some reason, Seiichi's smile diminished a little bit. Ryosuki frowned, poking her friend's cheek with her tiny index finger. Although she had certainly grown, the girl was still too small for her age. Her doctor had told her parents – though she didn't know – that her father's early treatment could have affected her system or it could simply be a bad luck set of genes. Either way, Ryosuki _loathed _being petite.

"Why so sad, Seiichi?" She asked in accented Japanese. After living almost five years in Japan, she had forcefully learnt the language. Some expressions were still weird no matter how much she heard them and kanjis were difficult (in fact, it was her worst subject in school, while the others were easy).

"Ah, it's nothing, Ryo-chan," it was the blue-haired boy response. His sister blinked her brown eyes – the only different feature they didn't share – and remained quiet.

The Fuji siblings were puzzled.

Christmas arrived with a light air of happiness. The Fuji family and the Yukimura family decided to spend it together, even though the children of the first one couldn't understand why. They exchanged gifts and ate a delicious dinner prepared by Kita, a now nineteen-year-old Yumiko and Yoshiko.

Ryosuki had been surprised when Yuuta brought a cake that had been hidden in the Yukimura household the last two days. Her brother even offered a rare smile at her direction. Their relationship had been strained too, since she spent so much time with Syuusuke, and she had been regretful about it.

"Happy birthday Ryo-cha, happy birthday to you," the two families ended the songs together while clapping songs. Ryosuki smiled at the English song as even Emi spoke the language by then.

The tiniest Fuji blew the candles, wishing for a next birthday as good as this one.

"What was your wish, imouto?" Emi questioned when Aunt Kita started distributing chocolate cake for everyone.

"If I tell you it won't come true," Ryosuki argued, though her pink lips were twisting in a soft smile.

"Mou~!"

It was way past midnight when Ryosuki woke up to drink a glass of water. Emi had been camping in her room – and Seiichi had crashed in a futon put next to Syuusuke's bed – so she was careful not to step on the blue-haired girl.

She silently made her way downstairs and found the kitchen's light turned on. Voice spoke in a hushed Japanese that would have been impossible for her to understand had it been one year prior to this moment. Even so, it was somewhat difficult to hear all the whispered tones.

"Syuu and Ryo will be so sad with the news," Mommy spoke.

Ryosuki frowned, confused.

"I know. Seiichi kept complaining during days about it – it was quite strange to see him so moody," Aunt Kita's voice commented.

"Emi doesn't know yet, though she will when we start packing our things next week," said Uncle Ryūji, the father of the Yukimura family. While his wife had chocolate brown eyes and the thick hair that went to their son and daughter, he was the one who carried the blue eyes and hair genes.

Golden eyes widened and Ryosuki muffled a surprised gasp with the palm of her hand.

"My Mother is too old to live alone in Kanagawa, there is no other way," Kita lamented. She didn't want to separate the children.

Ryosuki felt her eyes burning for some strange reason.

The adults kept talking, but she didn't want to hear it anymore. Her thirst had died out. With imperceptible steps, she went upstairs once again. For a moment, the girl thought about going to her room, changing her decision and opening her brother's door.

Syuusuke was sleeping with no smile on his face – it probably was the only time of the day that he relaxed his facial muscles. Seiichi was beside his bed, tangled up in covers. If she hadn't known him for years, Ryosuki would have been surprised by his untidiness when asleep.

"Seiichi," she whispered urgently. Her voice sounded weird. "Seiichi."

"Hmm?" The boy groggily made. He opened his eyelids, revealing a pair of turquoise eyes that framed his face nicely. "Ryo-chan, what happened?"

"I… I…, we," suddenly, the girl didn't what to ask. What could she say? That she had heard their parents talking about how her last friends would move away?

Her throat closed itself and her eyes started to itch uncomfortably.

"Ryosuki?" Seiichi called her full name, worried when he saw crystalline tears glistening in her eyes. He sat on his futon, pulling her to his arms. He patted her head as he always did.

"Seiichi," she murmured against his pajamas.

Emi and he couldn't go away. Not after Yuuta, not after Kojiro. Her sister was too busy with her new university classes and her eldest brother was almost at his senior year. What would be left of her and Syuusuke once the Yukimura siblings were gone? Syuusuke wasn't too shy to talk to the other boys of his class, but Ryosuki was a quiet girl. Many thought she was cold and arrogant with her attitude, though truthfully speaking, the only reason the tiny girl had been silent when she started school was because the green-haired Fuji didn't speak good Japanese.

It hadn't been her fault. As it wasn't Seiichi and Emi's fault for their change of prefecture. But why did her heart ache so much?

"That's the worst birthday ever," she mumbled through silent tears. Her first father's teachings were still fresh in her head: to cry loudly was to prove that you existed. And existing was unacceptable.

Seiichi kept patting her head in a soothing rhythm, "It's not your birthday anymore, so it can't be the worse," he tried to logically argument.

Ryosuki would have agreed if she hadn't been too busy crying.

* * *

><p><strong>Heyyyy people!<strong>

**I'm happy with the reviews I've received, but somewhat sad for their quantity. I like to hear what you thought of the chapter or story in general (truthfully, reviews that say 'Update quickly!" aren't very useful…). **

**There's a poll in my profile – vote there to choose the story that you want me to update the most. Usually it's the more commented one, since I **_**know **_**what the readers are thinking!**

**Until next time,**

**Amy.**

**P.S.: It broke my heart to write about sad Ryo-chan and troubled Seii-chan! **


	6. Part One: When Things Go Wrong

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.**

**Warnings: blah, too lazy to do it this chapter. The same ones from the last chapters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six:<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part One: When Things Go Wrong<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated."<em>

(Alphonse de Lamartine)

* * *

><p><em>"Seiichi, I…"<em>

_ A sigh was heard._

_ "I wanted to tell…"_

_ Golden met turquoise, and the latter smiled._

_ "You're not ready yet."_

_ "But my past, I… You should…"_

_ Fingers grasped much smaller hands, before presenting them with a gift._

_ "Keep it – to remember me. And when you're ready, tell me about who you were before being this wonderful girl."_

_ A sob was followed by a hug._

_ "Silly Seiichi," the little girl murmured against her best friend. "I don't something material to remember you."_

_ The older boy smiled once again, whispering Japanese words into her hair and finally letting go._

_ "Seiichi."_

_ "Seiichi!"_

_ "SEIICHI!"_

* * *

><p>Ryosuki woke up with her arm trying to reach the ceiling. Her heart was thumping insanely inside her chest and her breath came in puffs. She fumbled her bedside table, searching for one of her most important possessions.<p>

It was undeniably there, and this calmed her.

The preteen observed with sad eyes the forest-green-colored ribbon in her right hand. It had a bell attached to it, though it made no sound. Ryosuki sighed as she looked at her clock hanging on the wall – almost seven o'clock. Time for school. She wrapped the ribbon around her neck and got up from her bed.

It was impossible to forget Seiichi – even almost one year later – when her reminder was laced around her own neck.

* * *

><p>When the Yukimura family had moved away, Ryosuki and Syuusuke found themselves somewhat alone. There was no Emi to keep talking all day long and no Seiichi to play tennis with. The two siblings managed, of course, but it was incomplete.<p>

The last trimester in school arrived and Syuusuke graduated from Elementary School. When the sakura trees started blossoming, it was his turn to go to Seishun Gakuen – their father's Middle School. And with this note, Yuuta and she were the only ones left in grade school.

Ryosuki knew that it would be hard to meet her favorite – though she never said it – brother as often as she did before, but it still was disappointing. He had tennis practice now and new friends. Syuusuke spent time with her in the weekends, although it wasn't the same thing.

Ryoga had finally entered college and Yumiko was right in the middle of university madness – so they were busy until their next generation. Yuuta didn't talk as much as he did before either way. Her mother had started working full-time in the candy store as she deemed her sons and daughters grown up enough to be alone.

This left Ryosuki with her father – and what more would they do if not play their favorite game? This year, her ability blossomed as much as the sakura tress did in April. The youngest Fuji had been good in the sport, enough to sometimes defeat Yuuta despite being younger. Now, however, the girl could hold her own against Syuusuke.

Ryosuki loved it – the wind on her heated cheeks, the squeaking of the shoes, the thumping of the neon ball, the swish of the racket. Tennis had been the first game she had ever played with someone, and this simple thought made her happy. When the pair of siblings went to Kanagawa, her afternoons were free to do something else, and she trained like crazy.

Sometimes, Syuusuke or Ryosuki tried to contact Seiichi, but the three of them were too busy in the year succeeding the relocation – be it with practicing, studying or going to competitions. The now preteen girl never went to cheer for her brother in his tournaments, since she knew he would win.

This year, Ryosuki also met Tezuka Kunimitsu. Her first impression of him was _strict_. He was taller than her brother – who was getting on the short side compared to his peers – and wore grandfather glasses. In fact, he looked as strict as a traditional grandfather. How a freshman in Middle School could look like this she'd never know.

"You're ambidextrous," questioned the older boy one day, though it sounded like a question. Syuusuke had taken him to their house and proposed a game between his little sister and his new friend. Surely enough, Tezuka won, but the youngest Fuji learnt precious tricks during the game.

"Am I?" It had been her answer. Ryosuki then smiled – and for the first time in her life, her twisting of lips became a smirk in the end. She had lost and it tasted bitter in her mouth. To get rid of the taste, she spouted the words before she thoroughly thought about them, "Mada mada dane, Kunimitsu."

The first name hadn't been intentional – it just had been a long time since she became close to someone other than her family. The older boy allowed a millimeter smile to cover his face as Syuusuke laughed softly in the sidelines. He wasn't Seiichi, but Ryosuki didn't want another turquoise-haired boy in her life anyway.

* * *

><p>When the next school year started, Ryosuki was alone in Elementary.<p>

Two months later, Yuuta transferred to St. Rudolph and left home. The still short preteen didn't felt the need to cry, for her second oldest brother shed tears in her place. She tried not to feel betrayed, but it was hard.

She had never seen Syuusuke cry before.

* * *

><p>The biggest revelation of her life came in a hot summer day.<p>

Ryosuki had been feeling feverish since she woke up to go to school. As her mother and siblings were buried in work and studies, the duty of taking her to the doctor was left to her childish father.

"Daddy," the preteen was extra sure to widen her golden eyes. "I'm alright, see?" She moved her arms and legs to show her point.

"Good try, squirt," her father also had the annoying habit of giving her nicknames. "Your mother will kill me in my sleep if I don't take you to the hospital or whatever."

The preteen crossed her arms, irritated. Skipping school was okay, but being sick meant no tennis and _no tennis meant no fun_.

An idea popped inside her head and Ryosuki uncharacteristically – though it was becoming frequent – smirked. She observed as her father moved around her room, searching for the documents needed.

"Daddy?" She called in her sweetest voice.

"Hmm?" it was his response.

"Where do babies come from?"

Her father froze in the act of opening the drawer. Ryosuki could almost hear him gulp.

"Why so curious, shorty?" He nervously scratched his cheek.

The youngest Fuji smiled innocently, "They never taught us in school and I was wondering…" The green-haired girl paused, for she had been about to say something she hadn't spoken in a long time.

Ryosuki played with the words around her tongue. She was going to say _'Papa never explained it me, he locked me in my room instead'_. However, Daddy didn't like it when she talked about Papa.

Ryosuki wasn't the same clueless girl she had been upon arriving in Japan. She was aware of the fact that what Papa had done wasn't classified as good. _Beating_ – the preteen knew it was called. It was wrong, morality said. But was it wrong to hit someone who deserved it?

The petite girl was a bad girl.

She snapped out of her thoughts when her father cleared his throat, uncomfortable. He was sweating buckets.

"You see, when a man and a woman l-love each other a lot, th-they…-" Nanjirō stopped as he couldn't corrupt his little girl. He even hid his magazines from her, though they flashed everywhere in the house.

Ryosuki tried not to laugh, "Daddy, i-it's okay," she stuttered as unwanted giggles escaped through her pink lips. "I al-already know about i-it – hahahaha!"

"Thank God," she heard him murmur.

As she didn't some words of her next phrase in Japanese, Ryosuki reverted to English, "But I'm in doubt about some things."

Nanjirō immediately tensed. _He _wasn't ready for questions.

"Sensei told us that the kids are born looking half like their mother and half like their father," Ryosuki hesitated for a brief moment. "But why, Daddy, don't I look like Papa?"

* * *

><p>Ryosuki sat in contemplative silence in one of the hospital's room. The nurse tending to her was busy checking her temperature and she didn't care much. Her head was spinning with the new information.<p>

Artificial insemination.

She was only eleven, but could understand the term. It meant that Papa wasn't her biological father. Someone else was. Daddy said that Mama _had _indeed been her Mama – thankfully so. Ryosuki didn't want her whole life to be a lie. Her insides twisted, because her true mother had sacrificed herself so the petite girl could live – and her false father treated her like garbage for it.

She had spent three miserable years with him for nothing. Papa told her countless times that he loved her, even if he did not. Ryosuki had been so innocent and believed in his reassuring words.

The petite preteen looked as the nurse went out of the room grab files. She turned to her also silent father sitting on chair.

"Daddy," she called and her voice was nothing but empty. "If Papa isn't Papa… Who is?"

Nanjirō didn't answer out loud – and Ryosuki wasn't sure if she was ready to listen to it anyway. She observed his golden eyes, sharper than hers, but with the exact same color. There was endless love swimming in his irises and his body screamed, and the girl was sure her eyes shouted in harmony, for everything was suddenly clear.

She closed her eyes. The nurse entered the room once again, saying that she was a healthy little girl. Ryosuki still didn't care about the woman.

The preteen felt as if she was walking on clouds.

* * *

><p>They were wandering out of the white building when her cellphone's ringtone started playing. Ryosuki, who had been holding her father's – <em>father – <em>hand, released it to reply.

"Hello?"

The voice that answered made her heart skip a beat as she hadn't heard it in two weeks, "_Ryo-chan?"_

Her hand traveled up to the ribbon around her neck.

"What is it, Seiichi? Shouldn't you be in school?"

A cough was the boy's response.

"Are you sick?"

"_Actually, I'm in the hospital."_

Ryosuki froze in her steps.

"What happened?"

"… _I'm not sure. I was walking when I suddenly collapsed," _Seiichi sounded sorry for the lack of information. "_I knew that you were in school, but you were the first person that came to my mind when I thought about alerting your family."_

"I'm not in school today," Ryosuki managed to spit between ragged breaths. "Called in sick."

"_Is that so? Are you feeling well now?"_

The girl blinked confusedly, for her vision was starting to get dimmed. How strange.

"Seiichi?"

"_Yes?"_ And his voice sounded so small through the phone.

"You _do _know what is wrong with you, don't you?"

One, two, three. Four. Her heart was thumping. Her father looked at her questioningly, but Ryosuki couldn't answer. Not when she couldn't even think straight.

"_I do," _came the response. "_I collapsed a week ago, but didn't want to worry you or Syuusuke."_

Ryosuki bit her lower lip. She didn't want to hear it – for the first time, she didn't want to hear Seiichi's voice.

"_I know that it's troublesome, but could you come to St. Anna's Hospital here in Yokohama?"_

The preteen swallowed. She could not. She could not.

"Sure," Ryosuki found herself answering and her voice sounded almost normal. Almost.

"_Thank you_."

The little girl turned her phone off. Her face was wet, she noticed with something akin to astonishment.

One year and a half – that was how long since she had last seen Seiichi.

The ribbon around her neck felt cold – colder than her insides when she discovered the truth about her birth or when she met the Fuji family for the first time. It was a hot summer day in Tokyo, but her beloved green ribbon was cold with dread.

* * *

><p><strong>Yayyy, so many reviews last chapter!<strong>

**And for those worried about Ryosuki's constant unhappiness – don't worry. It's a difficult phase in her life like many of us have and she will overcome it. That's why she sounds so melancholic most of the time. I mean, she felt inferior most of her life – this is not so easily forgotten.**

**And to let things clear for those who didn't understand:**

**RYOSUKI IS NANJIRō'S AND RINKO'S DAUGHTER. **

**Yoshiko and Rinko used to be very good friends. James Black – Rinko's husband – however, couldn't give her a son or daughter. When Yoshiko proposed the idea, Nanjirō donated his, erm, genes to make it possible. It may sound strange, but they were the best of friends and I don't myself for example not trying everything in my reach to help my friend.**

**Anyway, thanks to those who read until here!**

**Until next time!**

**Amy.**

**P. S.: Father-daughter bonding, but so few mentions of Syuu-chan and Seiichi! I'm feeling somewhat guilty!**


	7. Part One: A Breath of Worry and Coffee

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.**

**Warning: Must we go through this each chapter? The warnings are the same as the previous ones (which includes **_**Syuusuke!)**_**.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Part One: A Breath of Worry and Coffee<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>It kills me sometimes, how people die." <em>

(The Book Thief, Markus Zusak.)

* * *

><p>Fuji Syuusuke was having a pretty slow day.<p>

It was almost lunch time and nothing interesting had happened yet. One of his best friends, Kikumaru Eiji, was happily humming a song behind him – and the teacher couldn't hear the redhead all the way from the front of the classroom. The classes were a bore and tennis practice was only later.

Actually, the second-year genius was thinking about his little sister, who had been sick when he left home. Ryosuki was the cutest little thing, and Syuusuke liked to tease her a lot. The tiny girl hated it as much as she loved it. They were the weird pair of their family.

The genius teen loved her ever since she entered their home years ago. Sometimes, Syuusuke felt guilty for not spending as much time with her as he did before – one happy smile from her pink lips always pushed the sad thoughts away.

"Excuse me," the secretary of the school said, opening the door and bowing to the Math teacher, Kyou-sensei. "Fuji-san is to go home."

Syuusuke blinked. Had something happened? He gathered his things as quickly as possible and bid goodbye to Eiji, asking him to tell their teammates about it. The tensai also bowed to the teacher and exited the classroom.

The secretary sent him a reassuring smile, "Your father and, I believe, your sister are waiting in the front gates."

Syuusuke thanked her and practically ran to the gates. Was his sister sicker than she appeared? Sure, it was a hot day and her fever wasn't uncommon, but what if it was something else? And if it was, why weren't them in the hospital?

The secretary had been right. His father, Nanjirō, was holding Ryosuki in his arms with her legs around his hips. Usually, eleven-year-old girls were too big for such a thing, but his sister was tiny.

"Dad," Syuusuke greeted, taking into account the form that his sister hid her face in their father's neck. Her shoulders were trembling. "Did something happen? Is Ryosuki ok?"

The tensai never called her by nicknames when he was serious.

Nanjirō shook his head.

"Your sister is fine – only a simple fever. She'll get better."

Syuusuke frowned with his eyes still closed. Most people tended to get scared by his eyes, after all.

"So…?"

His sister, however, interrupted him with an uncharacteristic whine, "Syuu-nii…"

Syuusuke took her in his arms and she immediately latched onto him with her thin arms.

"It's Seiichi," she murmured against his neck.

The tensai felt his heart skip a beat. What about their friend? A long time had passed since the teen last saw his first best friend, but Syuusuke still cared about him as much as he did years ago.

"He called and," Syuusuke felt tears drip on his school uniform. "He's in St. Anna's Hospital!"

"_What?"_

The little girl gripped the back of his gakuran. She was trembling in his arms.

"Seiichi said that he's been in the hospital for a week already, but didn't want to make us worry!" She complained. "Baka Seiichi…"

Syuusuke turned to his father, "Dad, we're going to Kanagawa. Can you please let Mom know this? We'll be back before dinner time, I promise."

Nanjirō sighed, observing the way his youngest daughter wrapped herself around her older brother. It would have been a cute sight as always – had it been any other day. He nodded while patting the green-haired girl's head, aware of her light fever and of her stubbornness. Both of them would go no matter what he said.

"Call your sister later. She'll be coming home from the university around three p.m. You can come back together," he advised, biding goodbye.

Syuusuke nodded in agreement – tracing the route from the hospital to the Kanagawa University mentally – and starting to run toward the train station.

* * *

><p>"Onii-san?" The tensai felt his sister grip the sleeve of his gakuran.<p>

Both of them were currently sitting in the metro, waiting the fifteen minutes it takes to arrive from Tokyo to Yokohama. The petite girl had fallen asleep sometime during their run to the station.

"Yes, Ryo-flower?"

The girl sighed at the nickname, though there was no true annoyance behind it. She was too worried about Seiichi to care about it.

"Do you think Seiichi is gonna be ok?" Her voice faltered and she swallowed her fear.

Ryosuki looked up as her brother smiled at her, patting her head.

"I'm sure he'll be alright, ducky. Remember the time when Seiichi fell from the slide in the playground? We all thought that he had hurt his head really bad, but when we went to the hospital there was nothing wrong," Syuusuke reassured her.

The green-haired girl remembered the situation and glanced down. Yes, Seiichi was strong.

He had to be.

* * *

><p>It was almost lunch time when they arrived as the station was a little far from Saint Anna's Hospital. Upon entering the building, Ryosuki was gripping her brother's hand so tightly she might as well be breaking it.<p>

"Relax, shorty," Syuusuke smiled at her and for a brief moment, she felt relieved with his pronounced nickname. He wouldn't call her by some silly name if he himself wasn't feeling calm.

They walked through the white corridors after asking the secretary for Yukimura Seiichi's room. Ryosuki's heart was beating fast like a bird's would. She was so nervous. It had been a long time since she had last seen her best friend. Would he be the same sweet and sadistic self? Had he gotten any taller? She certainly hadn't grown much. If the preteen closed her eyes, she could still remember his smell of raindrops and, strangely enough, coffee.

Oh, yes, Seiichi loved coffee.

With a start, Ryosuki realized that her brother had knocked on room 200's door. _His _room.

"You may enter," a voice she knew well said. It sounded deeper than when on the phone.

Syuusuke was the one that made her feet and brain work in cooperation.

The room was small and was covered in too many white-y things – from the sheets to the ceiling to the windows' curtains. It smelled strongly of disinfectant and other odors that only hospitals possessed. It was somewhat depressing.

None of that mattered much, though. The only thing Ryosuki could see was her best friend lying on the bed with a little smile on his face. His face had gotten thinner and his eyes sharpened from the previously round form. His hair was darker than before, going from turquoise to a navy color; it stayed the same other than this, however – the very same thickness, chin-length and wavy strands. She could see longer legs under the sheets and bigger hands over it.

Seiichi was Seiichi – and that's all that mattered.

"Syuusuke, Ryosuki," he greeted with his typical smile. His voice was still velvet-like, but Ryosuki knew this much from their conversations on the phone, at least. It sounded much better here.

"_Seiichi," _she dashed forward before her brother could reply. Her arms were around her friend and her forehead against his shoulder despite not knowing how she got there so fast. It felt _so damn good _to have his hand over her the back of her head just like before. "I missed you."

Her voice uncharacteristically cracked at the end. Ryosuki had become pretty apathetic ever since all of her friends moved somewhere and Syuusuke entered middle school. She became used to spending long periods of time alone and not drowning in despair because of it.

"I missed you too, Ryo-chan," Seiichi laughed softly and it was one of the most beautiful laughs she ever heard. Her best friend was here, he was here.

_Here – in the hospital_, her mind supplied and the little preteen froze.

"Seiichi," and, God, Ryosuki loathed the way her voice trembled. "Why did you collapse?"

"The medics aren't sure," the teen admitted. "They say that I'll be transferred to Kanai General Hospital if things don't show signs of improvement."

Syuusuke narrowed his eyes, "But what _do _they think is wrong with you?" He had certainly noticed the way his friend phrased his words.

"It's an illness doesn't let me feel my muscles and makes my reflexes dull," Seiichi sighed, hiding his face in Ryosuki's hair. It had gotten longer, he noticed with a smile. "Some suggested Guillain-Barré Syndrome… I hope they are wrong."

The three of them stayed in silence, for there was nothing to be said.

_Please, _please_, be ok – I can't handle losing you again_.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know – it took me forever to post another chapter. In my defense, I'm busy with Camp NaNoWriMo (for those who recognize it :). Anyway, I was so excited with your positive reviews, people, that it made me feel guilty for not posting in such a long time!<strong>

**I hope you liked this chapter, even if it was pretty dark. Part One is finally ending. Just to situate you on the timeline, it's around the end of June, right after the end of the Nationals when Seiichi and Syuusuke were in their second year of Middle School. Yeah, one year earlier than cannon because I wanted it this way. Ryosuki is eleven and will turn twelve this December, entering middle school next April.**

**Hope that helped.**

**Until next time!**

**(I was going to post yesterday night, but for some weird reason, FanfictionNet didn't let me do so... WEIRD!)**


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